Gang Warfare
by lilacbird
Summary: The Kitaki Family were the biggest organised crime syndicate in the city. Their underworld connections were unrivalled, save for one other group- The Rivales Family. The events leading up to and after Wocky was shot.
1. Chapter 1

Something I came up with today

**Something I came up with today. It's basically the events leading up to and after the incident when Wocky was shot.**

**--**

The Kitaki Family were the biggest organised crime syndicate in the city. Their underworld connections were unrivalled, save for one other group- The Rivales Family. The two had been in competition for generations, and the younger gang members often took it upon themselves to try to rid themselves of 'Public Enemy Number One'.

Wocky Kitaki was the son of Winfred 'Big Wins' Kitaki, the most notorious of gangster bosses. Wocky was immensely proud of his gangster heritage, and, he thought, was fully prepared to take on the dynasty he would one day inherit. He was eager to prove his worth in the gangster world, and would fight it out with the Rivales whenever he got the chance.

The Kitaki Family Gang consisted of six close-knit street G's, Wocky included.

First and foremost was Jaxon Driver- twenty-three years old, tall, thin, and dangerous in every meaning of the word. He donned no jewellery or tattoos like the rest of the gang, but his bare white skin made him look all the more menacing, along with his white-blond hair and eyes like ice. He was a cold, serious, silent young man. He hadn't always been, oh no, he had once been as excitable as Wocky himself, but that had all changed since a little incident four years ago. Long story short, he had run into an ambush. In any other situation he would have thought to Hell with it, and fought to the death, but in that case Wocky was with him. Wocky was only fourteen at the time. Jaxon had hidden him behind some trash cans and tied a cloth over his eyes. He told him to block his ears and wait for him to come get him. Wocky did as he was told- for once. A few seconds later he heard a few gunshots, and then Jaxon had grabbed him and was dragging him away. Wocky had asked Jaxon if he had shot the attackers. Jaxon had said yes. Wocky had thought Jaxon was so cool right then. Jaxon seemed to disagree.

After that, Jaxon changed drastically.

Lola Anderson was twenty-two years old, and, being the only woman in a gang of five males, she had to know how to handle herself. She was tall and slender, with flaming red hair and bright blue eyes. A born G with a street-wise attitude, she knew how to use her looks to her advantage. One could even go so far as to label her a slut. Lola had actually been Wocky's first kiss, though not through choice. It was on a night out and she was drunk. She had literally grabbed the back of his hair, forced her lips against his and thrusted her tongue down his throat. There wasn't any feeling in it- it was just a silly game she was playing to show off and embarrass Wocky.

Needless to say, it had worked.

Daniel Jaggers, or Danny for short, was as 'badass' as you could get. His arms were heavily tattooed with swear words, hearts, skulls and the like, and on his back he proudly sported the Kitaki Family crest. He was so pierced with spikes and rings that it was a surprise that liquid didn't come pouring out of him like through a sieve when he drank. He seemed to have infinite knowledge of firearms and other weaponry, and was the best in the gang at hand-to-hand combat after Jaxon. He was the one who had taught Wocky how to fight. He was a tough teacher- a really tough teacher- and Wocky had often ended his many 'lessons' pinned to the ground, bruised and bloodied, his face being pushed into the dust, or even into his own vomit. Danny never let Wocky take a break, even if he was sick.

"Other G's aint' gonna stop if ya hurl, so neither am I."

Deano Kitaki was almost twenty-one, and was Wocky's older cousin on his father's side. He was the joker of the pack, with a wild mop of brown hair and green eyes that shone with laughter. He was a born trickster and lived to torment poor Wocky. Despite his relentless teasing, he was actually very fond of his 'lil' cuz' and was always the first to jump to his defence should he ever get in any trouble.

Which was often.

Chris Fielding was eighteen years old and the only African-American G in The Kitaki Family Gang. He was the newest member of the gang- he had earned their respect after he managed to hit ten consecutive bulls-eyes during target practice. He was a smart kid with plenty of attitude. Initially Wocky was glad to have gang member his age- Chris was actually a few months younger than him- and he hoped that the others would finally stop babying him, but no such luck.

Old habits die hard, apparently.

Wocky Kitaki himself was eighteen, and second youngest. He refused to admit it, but he was the baby of the gang. Not literally, but as he had been a member since he was only fourteen or fifteen, and because he was short for his age, the others G's had grown accustomed to treating him like a child. The most excitable and energetic of the gang, often the others' tendency to treat him like a kid was justified.

Sometimes they found it hard to believe- and a little scary- that this was the boy who would one day take over as the head of The Kitaki Family.

--

Wocky skidded round the corner, hurtling towards the usual meeting place. Dammit, he was so late! Typical- on the day they were finally going to stick it to the Rivales, his Mom had to go into full-on raging bull mode.

"Oh, look who it is!" Danny crowed to the rest of the gang upon seeing the breathless Wocky sprinting towards them. "Hey, kiddo! Ready to bust some teeth?"

Wocky doubled over, leaning his hands against his knees, panting for breath. Raising his head, he grinned. "You betcha!"

It wasn't exactly a lie- true he was feeling sick to his stomach, but Deano had told his that it was normal to feel like that before a brawl. This would be his second big fight. He had learned from his first that the waiting was far worse than the actual fighting, though he was feeling a lot better this time than he had the last brawl. And that one had only been hand-to-hand. This time any weapons except firearms were allowed.

"What kept ya, cuz?" Deano piped up "Plum make you tidy your room 'fore you came out?" He and Lola snickered and bumped their fists together in appreciation of the joke.

"Shaddap." Wocky muttered, not wanting to admit that Deano was right.

"Nah, I kid, I kid." Deano grinned, waving a hand dismissively. "Seriously, though, you be careful out there, 'kay, cuz?" He ruffled Wocky's hair affectionately.

"Yeah, yeah, get off me, you bastard!" Wocky tried to swat Deano's hand away, but Deano caught his wrist and pulled Wocky into a hug. Needless to say Wocky wasn't too happy about this.

"Cut it out!"

"Aw, my lil' Pocky's growin' up!" Deano laughed, pinching Wocky's cheek and shaking his head roughly by it.

"You call me that again, I swear I'll-"

"Leave it, Deano." Jaxon muttered without even looking at them. He was leaning with his back again the wall, hands in pockets. Deano did as he was told and released Wocky. Jaxon rarely spoke, but when he did, his word was law.

Wocky stumbled away from his cousin, rubbing his cheek.

"When I'm the boss, you gonna be first on my hit list fo' shiz!" He said, glaring at Deano. "What time we steppin' to the Rivales?"

"'Bout an hour," said Lola. "What'cha got for us, Dan?"

Dan smirked "I thought you'd never ask." Sliding to the ground from where he leaned against the wall, crossing his legs and producing a plastic shopping bag from behind his back.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he grinned deviously. "Name your weapons." And with that he tipped the entire contents of the bag on the ground, sending assorted knives and blades scattering in all directions.

The rest of the gang pounced upon the pile, eager to see what treasures were available to them.

"Oh, that's nice…" Chris smiled, raising a curved knife to the setting sun and admiring the light dancing on the metal blade. "Look at that." He shuffled over to Wocky. "See that curve at the end? Slides _right_ in like _this-"_ He slowly swung his arm from upwards from his waist "And then you can just-" He gave the knife a few quick, vicious twists. Then he withdrew the blade, satisfied, and tucked it into his back pocket.

"What the Hell is this?" Lola mused, picking up a large, twisted metal blade which had been clumsily fixed to a home-made wooden handle. "A corkscrew?! What you been smokin', Danny?"

"What you talkin' bout, missy? That piece there's perfect fo' back stabbin' and eye goungin'!" Said Danny indignantly.

Lola narrowed her eyes suspiciously "Really?"

"Really." Danny assured "Twists 'em right out." He made a popping sound with his lips for emphasis.

"Well, I'll take it then." Lola decided. "But I'm havin' this too!" She added, snatching up a small, sharp kitchen knife. She stuffed both weapons into her jeans.

Wocky picked up what looked like the handle to a switchblade knife. He clicked the switch, expecting the blade to pop out of the slot at the top of the handle. It didn't. Frowning, he hit the handle against the ground a few times, thinking the blade might just be stuck. When it still failed to come out, he raised it, slot facing him, with the intent to check if it indeed _held_ a blade. He was about to look down the slot when- the blade came out.

"Gah!" Wocky screamed in shock and dropped it. Not that you could blame him- he was one second away from having a knife stuck in his eye.

"Hey, wazzat?" Said Deano, reached for the switchblade Wocky had dropped. Turning it over and over in his hand and trying out a few practice stabs, he asked "You want this?"

"No!" Said Wocky quickly.

Deano grinned, snapping the blade back into it's handle and pocketing it.

"You not want anything, Jax?" He called over to Jaxon, who was still leaning against the wall.

"I got mine already." Jaxon said emotionlessly. Deano simply nodded in response.

Danny was closely examining a medium-lengthed shiv, nodding in appreciation of the design.

"Not to long, not to short." He muttered. "Perfect." He tucked the large weapon into his belt.

"Hey. Hey, shorty, get over here." He called, beckoning Wocky over. "I got somethin' for ya."

"Yeah, what?" Said Wocky irritably, trotting over to Danny.

"Here, try this out." Danny said, fumbling in his pocket and bringing out a metal knuckleduster.

Wocky was momentarily stunned.

"You ain't serious." He decided.

"Naw, naw, I am!" Danny insisted. "S'your reward fo' bein' such a good student and takin' all those punches." He held the knuckleduster out on the flat of his palm.

Wocky eyed Danny suspiciously. It wouldn't be out of character for him to snatch it away at the last second and shout 'Tricked you!' He reached out his hand slowly, then quickly grabbed it from Danny's open palm.

Danny grinned "You don't have much faith in The Dan, do ya?"

Well, would _you _trust the man who had broken three of your ribs? Wocky chewed his lip, still uncertain.

"Try it out, come on!" Danny urged.

Wocky took off his ring and put it in his pocket and slid the knuckleduster over his fingers.

"How's that?" Danny asked, smirking.

"Woah…" Wocky curled his hand into a fist, running his fingers over the sharp contours in the metal of the knuckleduster, staring at it in awe.

Danny chuckled at the look of pure delight on Wocky's face. "Knew you'd like it. It's stainless steel to, so it won't rust or nothin'."

"Th-Thanks, Danny, man…" Said Wocky, his eyes still on the metal fixed on his fist.

"Try it. Away, hit me." Danny offered, sticking out his chin tauntingly. "Unless you're scared…"

Wocky's eyes flamed, and Danny tittered. He knew Wocky could never stand being called a coward. He hated it almost as much as he hated being called 'cute'. His pride would be his downfall someday, the others were sure of it.

Wocky swung his fast. Danny caught it just before it hit his face as twisted it behind Wocky's back.

"Ow! Oww! You freakin' son of a bitch!" Wocky yelled, struggling.

"You're an idiot." Danny laughed, giving him a push away.

Wocky scowled at Danny, and then grinned when he remembered the knuckleduster.

"How much longer?" He asked.

"'Bout half an hour." Lola said, playing with her lighter, flicking it on and off. "Cigarette?" She held out the pack to the gang. Deano, Danny and Chris took one each. Jaxon stayed leaning against the wall like some tall white statue.

"Wocky?" She held a cigarette out to him.

"I don't-"

"Yeah, yeah, you don't smoke," Lola muttered, lighting the cigarette and popping it in her own mouth, taking a long drag on it as if it was the very air she breathed. "Pussy." She added as an afterthought, blowing smoke in his face.

"You really pushin' it, ginger." Said Wocky threateningly, trying to glare at her but looking more like he was pouting.

Lola laughed "Ah, you're cute."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Wocky exploded, his cheeks reddening involuntarily.

"Not even if it's true?" Lola said mischievously.

"GODDAMMIT!" Wocky clenched his fists. "How much longer?"

"Twenty minutes?"

"Shit!" Wocky collapsed into the ground. He hated to admit it, but the tension was getting to him. The waiting was the hardest part, and Wocky wasn't sure he could hold out for twenty minutues. Dammit, this was all Deano's fault! If he hadn't been so overprotective an let him fight more often, Wocky would have been more used to the stress! But no, it was always 'You're too lil', kiddo. Maybe next time.'

_Too little, my ass! Deano's been brawlin' since he was younger than me! _Thought Wocky with disdain.

After about five more minutes of biting his nails, chewing his lip, flicking his switchblade and fidgeting in general, Wocky couldn't stand the stress any longer.

"I can't take this, man. I'm goin'!" He announced, getting to his feet.

"Woah, woah, what you think you're doin'?" Said Deano quickly.

"I'm gonna go kick some Rivales ass, 'aight?" Wocky said.

"Oh no you're not! We said eight." Deano cried, getting up.

"Sooo… I'm gonna strike when their guard's down, yeah?" Wocky sighed impatiently.

Deano paused, as if thinking about this. "I dunno, cuz…"

"Ah, let 'im go. My number one student's ready for this!" Danny argued. Wocky nodded in agreement.

"Whadda you think, Jaxon?" Deano asked. Jaxon did not reply, instead waving a hand dismissively, as if to say he couldn't care less.

"Well, all right." Deano eventually gave in reluctantly. "But be careful!"

"Yeah, no sweat! You're lookin' at the future boss of The Kitakis, right?" Wocky grinned, giving Deano the thumbs up sign before dashing off down the street before Deano or anyone else could change their minds and call him back.

--

The Rivales Family Gang, led by Gary Rivales, the eldest son of The Family's Boss, were waiting at the abandoned park for their enemies to show. It was where they always held their brawls, and their annual fights were something of a tradition.

Gary Rivales was almost twenty-four, and was a seasoned veteran on the gangster streets. His gang consisted of his tough-talking younger brother Ozzy, the big and beautiful Zara, self-styled street punk Keith, know-it-all Vann, and smooth operator Frankie and his brat kid sister Carey. Gary was the heir to The Rivales Family, though he hadn't always been. He and Ozzy had once had another brother, Jacob, but he had been shot dead by a Kitaki four years ago. He was only twenty-three at the time.

Wocky got to the park at little past quarter to eight. The Rivales were already there, laughing and joking amongst themselves. Their jokes mainly consisted of the stupidity and overall wack-ness of the Kitaki Family, specifically that of the future boss. If it had been any other situation, Wocky would've pounced right there and then, but he couldn't help but falter when he noticed how many of them there were, plus the empty bottles discarded on the ground suggested they had been drinking.

"You think they're even gonna show?"

"Heh, wouldn't surprise me if they didn't. Buncha turkeys…"

Wocky wasn't going to stand for that. He hated been called a coward more than almost anything. If those Rivales thought they could call Wocky Kitaki a chicken and get away with it, they had another thing coming!

"Oi. OI!" Wocky shouted, running into view from his hiding place behind the wall.

The Rivales looked over at him with such looks of disinterest that it angered Wocky even further.

"You Rivales gonna regret that!" He yelled threateningly.

The Rivales each looked at each other with confusion written all over their faces. They began to mutter amongst themselves. Wocky glared and readied his stance for action. A smirking young man wearing an expensive-looking suit stepped forward a few steps. Wocky stayed where he was- about twenty or thirty feet away.

"You know who I am?" He said, smiling evilly all over his face.

"Yeah, you sad excuse for a G! Gary Rivales!" Wocky spat the name out as if it tasted bad in his mouth.

"Heir to The Rivales- most feared gangstas in town." Gary corrected, cocking an eyebrow up mockingly. "Who are you, kid?"

"Wocky Kitaki, future boss of The Kitaki Family." Said Wocky, not wanting to let Gary get one over on him. Unfortunately, this attempt at bragging seemed to backfire on him.

The Rivales looked incredulously at each other in disbelief. Then they all burst into raucous rounds of laughter.

"Good one, kid! Man, you really had me goin' for a second there!" Gary chuckled.

Wocky's face flushed scarlet. "Shut up! I'm a Kitaki, and we're the only O.Gs around here, so you can shut your yap, you frickin' motherfucker!" He shouted fiercely.

"Oooh!" The Rivales all raised their hands and eyebrows in mock shock and fear tauntingly. Wocky had to will himself to keep still. He had to remember what Danny had taught him- never go to your opponent, always wait for them to come to you. Going to them gives them time to prepare for a counter-attack.

"You really serious, kid?" Gary asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

Wocky simply nodded in reply, his glare drilling holes in Gary's head. It took a second for this news to sink in before The Rivales all began to laugh again, doubling over as they roared so hard their stomachs hurt.

"No… No way!" Gary yelled, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. "This is just too good! You… You're the Kitaki Heir? How old are you, sixteen?"

"I'm _eighteen."_ Wocky snapped furiously. "And I'm more than a match for you guys, so bring it!"

"Heh." Gary snorted "You sure you don't wanna wait for backup? If you have any, that is."

"S'not gonna take much to beat the crap outta you posers." Wocky said insolently.

Gary grinned again "Big words for a little boy." He mocked. "Well? Show me whatcha got."

Wocky reached into his pocket and brought out the switchblade, flicking it open rather clumsily, not taking his eyes off Gary once.

Gary let out a 'Ha!' of contempt. "Am I s'posed to be scared? I betcha don't even know how to use that thing." He said, nodding at the knife.

"Shows what you know." Wocky shot back, though he just realised himself that Gary was right. He had absolutely no idea how to use a blade. He frantically racked his brains to back with the gang, how Deano and the others had executed their practice stabs.

"C'mon! I ain't afraid o' you!" Wocky challenged.

"I think you are." Gary said.

"I'm _not!"_ Wocky yelled, though beads of cold sweat had broken out on his forehead and his heart was hammering so hard against his ribcage that he was sure Gary would be able to hear it. "Bring it on!"

Gary shrugged, his eyes glinting chaotically. He flashed a jagged grin "You asked for it." And with that the grin faded, and a storm took over Gary's face. In a movement faster than Wocky could blink, he snatched something grey from his belt and raised it.

A loud 'Bang!' rang out.

And pain exploded in Wocky's chest, knocking him backwards and onto the ground. His chest was burning, and he couldn't breathe. Goddammit, he couldn't breathe. He gasped and wheezed, but he couldn't draw in any air, and every choke felt as if his throat was being grated. Something warm was spreading across his chest, dying his clothes a deep red. He could hear The Rivales shouting and screaming, and heavy boots pelting the ground as they ran away. Amidst all the mayhem, Wocky was sure he heard Gary say "That was for my brother."

Wocky wasn't sure how long he stayed lying there on the cold hard ground, wanting to move but unable to, his own blood spreading out around him into a red puddle. Maybe a minute. Maybe ten minutes. Maybe a hour. He didn't know.

"Wocky? Wocky!? Oh Gawd!" And then he could feel strong arms around him and raising his torso out of the crimson pool. He coughed, causing a clot of blood to rise in his throat and spatter across his face.

"They shot my cousin." Deano whispered, horrified, looking down at Wocky. "They shot… my cousin…" His voice cracked. And then he exploded in a fit of rage "Those bastards! They shot my cousin!" He began to run to the street that The Rivales had left by, but Lola leapt on him to hold him back.

"Stop it! They're gone, there's nothing you can do!"

"They shot my cousin!" Deano screamed, on the verge of tears. "You _bastards! _You _fucking bastards! _He's only eighteen!"

"Leave it!" Shouted Danny, who was the one holding Wocky. "Chris! Go tell Wocky's folks, move it!"

Chris, who had been watching the whole scene with a silent terror on his face, quickly nodded, turned, and sprinted away in the opposite direction towards Kitaki Mansion. He was gone in a flash- nobody was faster than Chris.

"N…" Wocky winced and coughed.

"Wocky!" Deano collapsed beside his cousin "Lil' cuz… S'okay, I'm here. S'me, Deano. Everything's gonna be okay, cuz. Everything's gonna be…" Wocky felt a droplet of water splash onto his face as Deano leaned over him.

"D… Don't…" Wocky cringed.

"Don't talk, its okay…" Deano whispered.

Wocky shook his head, his breathing becoming faster and more urgent. "D-Don't tell… my mom…" He coughed again, more blood pouring from his mouth, his eyes rolling back in his head.

"Oh God no!" Deano screamed, leaping to his feet. "Whadda we do? For fuck's sake, whadda we do?! Jaxon!" He stumbled over to Jaxon, his eyes pleading desperately for help. "Whadda we do?"

"Nothing." Said Jaxon, watching Wocky carefully with cold eyes. "I've seen this before. He's a goner. Leave 'im."

"What are you saying?" Deano squeaked. His voice grew hysteric "What the fuck are you saying?!"

"I'm saying- he's gonna die."

Wocky's eyes immediately snapped open, wild and afraid, his chest rising and falling faster and faster.

"He's not gonna die, y'hear me?" Deano shrieked at Jaxon, grabbing him by his jacket. He was openly crying by now. "I won't let 'im die!"

"Deano!" Lola screamed, averting her eyes pointedly to Wocky, whose lip was trembling. Squatting down by his side, she wiped the blood from his chin and gave his hand a squeeze- he was still wearing the knuckleduster Danny had given him. "Its okay, lil' G, don't cry."

"N…" Wocky blinked his eyes, desperately trying to rid himself of the tears. Even if he was going to die, he _would not cry._

The same couldn't be said for Deano, who, by now, was in hysterics, crying and screaming swear words at Jaxon, The Rivales, himself.

"It's all my fault. Shoot me! Y'hear me?! I said _shoot me!"_ He hollered into the sky as if appealing to the heavens. "Fuck it!"

"Deano! _Shut up!_" Danny shouted. Everyone fell silent. Danny's shout was as loud as a volcano, and just as menacing. "He ain't dead yet, so stop acting like he is! Deano, you got your phone?"

Deano shook his head, wiping his nose on the back of his hand.

"Then go find a pay phone! Scat!" Danny shouted. Deano did as he was commanded.

"What do we do…?" Lola asked fearfully.

"I dunno," Danny said. "What you s'posed to do when someone gets shot?"

"I don't know! I-I think we're supposed to keep them awake…?" Lola guessed. "A-At least that's what they did on that hospital show I watched…"

"Right…" Danny nodded, looking down at Wocky, who had his eyes shut tight and was breathing alarmingly slowly. "Wocky. Wocky! Wake up, dammit!" He shook him hard. Wocky coughed.

"Don't shake him, idiot!" Lola shouted frantically. Kneeling down beside Wocky, she cupped his face in her cold hands. "Wocky, stay with me, Wocky. Wocky!" She slapped him lightly across his cheek. Wocky opened his eyes, causing the tears to spill out over his cheeks.

"A…!" Wocky's face contorted, furious with himself for allowing that to happen, and frustrated that he didn't have the strength to lift his hand and wipe his eyes. Lola did it for him.

"My poor baby…" She whispered. Wocky blinked angrily in response. He wasn't a kid any more, so why did everyone treat him like he was?! Lola smiled weakly in amusement. Even when he was dying, Wocky was still Wocky.

"Dammit, where the fuck is Deano?" Danny spat, looking around. "We don't have time for this shit. We gotta get 'im to hospital _now, _or else…"

"Th-There's a clinic not so far from here… Th-The Meraktis Clinic? I-I think we can get a p-patch-up op there…" Lola stuttered, brushing aside the orange hair that was sticking to Wocky's forehead.

"Then I'm gonna take 'im there myself." Danny decided, shifting to his knees. Wocky choked, and Danny turned him on his side as he retched helplessly onto the concrete ground. "Jaxon, gimme a hand, will ya?!" Danny craned his neck to shout to Jaxon.

Jaxon was stood with his hands in his pockets- the same position he had been in since they had got there. He continued to stare blankly at his three friends.

"Fine, screw you." Danny said, struggling to his feet with the help of Lola. Wocky screamed. Then gasped and coughed.

"For fuck's sake!" Jaxon suddenly shouted. "Leave 'im! Just get your fuckin' hands off 'im! He's a dead man, why hurt 'im more?" His eyes were alight with anger and something that looked like sorrow.

Danny glared at Jaxon. "That's how you wanna be, fine. But this kid ain't goin' nowhere while I'm around." He said coldly.

Lola held Wocky's head to stop it jerking back as Danny carried him. "Bastards." She hissed. "We agreed: no guns."

"You stay here and wait for Deano." Danny ordered Jaxon. No-one had ever gave demands to Jaxon before, but this was an emergency. "When he gets back, tell 'im we've gone to Meraktis. Got it?" His stony glare said that 'No' was not an acceptable answer.

Jaxon didn't respond.

"Let's go then." Said Danny. "Lola, try 'n keep 'im awake, would ya?" And he set off walking.

Wocky could feel Lola's cool hand on his forehead and he could hear her whispering but her voice was getting quieter and quieter and he was hurting so much and he was so so tired and he was suddenly frightened because he knew that if he went to sleep he might never wake up so he tried to open his eyes wide but his eyelids were to heavy and he had to rest them and then he couldn't open them again and he could feel himself drifting and he knew he was going to sleep in spite of himself, he was going to sleep…

--

At that very moment, a young African-American boy was bursting into the Kitaki residence, eyes wide, brow glistening and lungs hungry for air.

"Wocky's been shot."

--

**Well, there it is! I came out rather dark, but what can you expect from a story where someone gets shot? This fic sort of reminds me of 'The Outsiders'... Those who have read that book will understand, I'm sure!**

**About that paragraph near the end, yeah, I know it's all one sentence. It's supposed to show how Wocky is slowly losing consciousness and it's dragging on and on… Sorry if I didn't make that very clear in the story.**

**Sorry to end this on such a dismal note, but I couldn't think of any other way to end it. I was going to have it end when Wocky was waking up in the hospital after his operation… Should I do another chapter?**

**And a 'Pocky' is a Japanese sweet. They're kinda like pretzels, but fruit flavoured!**

**Hmm, I was thinking, I might get a DA account soon… I drew a picture of Wocky and Deano, and I want to put it up!**


	2. Chapter 2

I wasn't intending to continue this, but I've decided to add another chapter anyway

**I wasn't intending to continue this, but I've decided to add another chapter anyway!**

**--**

The first thing Wocky noticed when he woke up was that it was dark. It took him a few moments to realise that his eyes were still closed. He opened his eyes- it took tremendous effort to do just that. He was lying in a hospital bed, staring up at the ceiling. He tried to move his head to look around the room, but he couldn't. He tried to talk, but he couldn't do that either- his mouth was as dry as Mars, and his tongue was sticking to the roof of his mouth.

Then it crept up on him, and he didn't realise it until he was in the middle of it. He was hurting. Well, not so much hurting as aching uncomfortably. His head throbbed. His chest felt heavy. He needed to cough. His throat burned. His muscles ached. He felt sick. He couldn't decide whether he was too hot or too cold. He tried to take a deep breath, and a spear of pain shot through his chest. He held his breath and waited for it to fade- which it did. Slowly.

Where was he? What had happened? He thought maybe he remembered something about Deano…? Where was Deano now? He wanted to go home. He wanted his mom. And that was embarrassing. He was nearly nineteen; he shouldn't need his mom any more.

He was tired. He was so, so tired. He wanted to go to sleep, but how could he sleep while his head was still buzzing with questions? If he could just relax for a second, then he could… Wow, this bed was comfy…And if he focused on breathing in and out slowly… Oh… Oh that feels nice… His eyelids were getting too heavy to keep open. Maybe he could close his eyes for just a second…

And just like that, he was out of it.

For the next few days he drifted in and out of himself. Every time he opened his eyes there was someone there in the room with him. He couldn't see them, but he could hear their voices. Sometimes his didn't recognise the voices. And sometimes he did. He often heard Deano, or Lola, or his others friends talking, oblivious to him. Once he woke up and his dad was there. Wocky thought his ears might've been deceiving him, but he was sure he was sobbing. But that was impossible. The famed head of The Kitaki Family, Winfred 'Big Wins' Kitaki, would never cry.

And then he woke up properly. And this time, he could remember. The confrontation, the bang, the pain that followed. Gary's 'That was for my brother', Deano's crying, Danny's shouting, Lola's cool hand on his forehead, Jaxon's 'Leave him, he's going to die.'

Opening his eyes, he struggled to sit up.

"Oh, you're awake." Said the nurse who managed the ward. She was quite pretty- small and slender, with sandy brown hair twisted into a bun atop her head and perfectly manicured nails painted oddly green. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Uh…" Wocky swallowed- at least his mouth wasn't so dry any more. He coughed, and immediately felt as if his chest was about to come apart. His eyes widened with anxiety. "Wh-Where's my mom?"

Oh God, he couldn't believe he just asked that. He sounded like a little kid begging for his mommy.

"Your friends are here." The nurse said. "But I'll phone your parents if you want them."

Wocky was about to take it back and say that he didn't need his parents there after all, but he felt himself nodding despite himself.

The nurse smiled sweetly, turned on her heel, and glided away, leaving Wocky alone to wait. Dammit, he was thirsty. He would've killed for a glass of water. Or maybe not. He was having to cross his legs pretty tight already. He wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to hold it in. He could see the sign that pointed to the bathrooms across the ward, taunting him. His couldn't get up to go- his legs were too weak to support him.

For about five minutes he lay fidgeting, trying to get the blood flowing back to his muscles. His body didn't feel as weak as it did now the feeling was coming back to his limbs.

"Wocky, lil' cuz!" Deano cried, bursting into the ward and dashing over to Wocky's side, followed by Chris, Lola and Danny- and Jaxon, ambling casually behind, hands in pockets. "Man, you had me scared!" He sat down on the chair beside the bed, his grin fading. Covering Wocky's hand with his own, he said "I'm glad you're ok, cuz."

"You got yourself a mark of honour, kiddo." Lola mused "Shot in the heart an' still breathin'. You one mad G."

Wocky grinned as if she were complimenting him.

Reaching into her pocket, Lola brought out the knuckleduster. "Held onto this for ya." She said, setting it down on the table beside in bed.

"Th-Thanks."

"Jesus Christ, man…" Chris piped up "I though you was a goner fo' sho'!"

"Naw- takes more than that to get to my number one student, right?" Said Danny, ruffling Wocky's hair. Wocky scowled, frustrated that he was unable to fight back. "Man, that nurse is hot stuff! You one lucky sonovabitch!" Danny laughed. "Hey!" He said suddenly "I carried you all the way here and you 'aven't even thanked me! How's that for gratitude, eh?"

"Thanks…" Said Wocky a little reluctantly. He knew that was really the least he could say, seeing as he probably owed his life to Danny, but he always hated saying thankyou, especially when someone requested he say it.

"Ah, kid…" Danny chuckled and shook his head. "Hey. Hey, Jaxon! Get over here!" Since he dared to challenge Jaxon's authority back in the park, Danny's confidence in his leadership skills had grown considerably, and could now order Jaxon around with confidence. This was not to say Jaxon always did as he was told, but that was expected from him.

"Hm." Jaxon grunted dragging his feet as he joined his friends at Wocky's side. "You should be dead." He told him plainly.

"Shaddap!" Danny snapped at Jaxon. Jaxon raised his eyebrows nonchalantly in response.

"Deano…?" Wocky frowned, looking over at his cousin, who was sitting with his head bowed, clinging onto Wocky's hand so tightly it was beginning to hurt. "You ok?"

"Yeah, yeah, 'course." Deano smiled weakly, looking up at Wocky, his eyes watering.

"Oh, here we go…" Lola sighed impatiently. "Waterworks are off _again. _I tell ya Wocky, he's been bawlin' so much he almost drowned the lot of us."

"Yeah, I know, I know, I'm a big baby." Deano laughed, wiping his eyes. Wocky was amazed as to how Deano could cry so casually and still maintain such confidence. Wocky hated it when he cried- to him, crying was a sign of weakness.

"Away, Wocky, let's see your scar." Chris said.

"My… scar?"

"Well, how do you think they got that bullet outta you?" Chris sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, right!" Wocky realised. He pulled up his shirt to reveal a hideous line of stitching running all the way down from his collarbone to his stomach. Woah… He didn't think it would be that big… And it looked kinda bloody- was it supposed to look like that? And that thread sure didn't look strong enough to hold that huge cut together…

"That is the ugliest thing I've ever seen." Said Lola, turning away in disgust.

"Ah, shaddap, Lola. It's badass!" Said Chris, eyeing the huge scar enviously.

"That is pretty cool kid." Danny admitted, nodding at the scar with approval.

"Y-Yeah…" Wocky agreed, unable to take his eyes off is torn chest. He raised a hand to touch it, fingers trembling involuntarily. "Ouch!" He winced, letting his hand drop back to his side. Yeah, he'd earned himself a 'Mark of Honour' all right. Despite the pain it was causing, it did look impressive. When it healed properly, it wouldn't hurt so much, and just add to his gangster image. So… why was he feeling so queasy all of a sudden? His stomach was churning and he was getting light-headed. A tidal wave of nausea washed over him and he leaned over the side of the bed- and vomited all over the floor.

"Aw, cuz!" Deano cried, backing away quickly. "You puked all over my shoes, man!"

"F… Fuck you…" Wocky gasped, flopping his head back down on his pillow exhaustedly, his face as white as a sheet.

"Feel better?" Deano asked quizzically, raising an eyebrow.

"Y…Yeah…" No sooner had the words left Wocky's lips that his eyes widened and his stomach lurched, and he proceeded to throw up again.

"D'ya want me to get you a bucket?" Said Lola teasingly. Wocky glared at her, his breath catching in his throat as he clamped a hand over his mouth. Lola backed away, deciding it probably wasn't a good idea to make fun of Wocky when the threat of being splattered with a surge of projectile vomit was present.

"Wocky!" A loud, husky voice boomed out from across the ward, and Little Plum burst through the doors like a steamroller, closely followed by Winfred and the nurse. Rushing to her son's side, she scooped him up in a bone-crushing hug, squeezing him so tight his stitches almost split.

"Oh, my baby, my baby…" She cried. In any other situation, Wocky would've literally died of embarrassment, but right then he just wanted to cling to his mom like a little kid. He _felt _like a little kid.

"What on Earth were you thinking?" Plum murmured. "You stupid, stupid boy…"

"I… I'm sorry…" Wocky said quietly, his voice catching as he said it. He felt a painful lump rise in his throat and swallowed desperately, trying to force it back down- and failing. His vision blurred and he felt his nose burning. No, no, _no, _he would _not_ cry. He was horribly aware that everyone was staring at him, but at the same time unable to shake the feeling of helplessness away.

Plum let him go far earlier than he wanted her to. An awkward silence followed. Wocky kept his eyes glued to the bedcovers, refusing to look at anyone in the room.

"Wocky," Said Winfred sternly.

"Yeah, Da- Old Man?" Wocky muttered. There was a pause. "I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

"Yes." Winfred nodded, his face darkening.

"Uh… Maybe we should leave now, guys." Deano piped up nervously- the wrath of his uncle was not one he wished to face. "See you 'round, cuz." He said, ruffling Wocky's hair and adding in a whisper "Good luck."

"Later, kid." Danny grinned. "You still got a lotta learn!"

"Bye Wocky," Chris waved as he turned to leave. Jaxon grunted and slouched after him.

"See ya, shorty." Lola giggled, leaning over to Wocky's side and kissing the tip of his nose playfully. Wocky jumped back in surprise so quickly that his banged the back of his head against the bedstead. Clamping a hand over his nose, he scowled at her, blood rushing to his cheeks. Lola just laughed at him and flounced away, tossing her red hair extravagantly.

The slam of the door echoed throughout the room, and Wocky swallowed, knowing that he was in for a long (and, admittedly, painful) lecture about how irresponsible he had been and how disappointed his parents were.

"Son," Winfred began. Wocky could've kicked himself for flinching at his father's words.

"Yeah…?" Wocky said, looking up at Winfred through one half-open eye. He didn't like to admit, but he was still kind of scared of his dad when he got like this.

"Son, before your mother and I jump to any… unnecessary conclusions, I want you to tell us _exactly_ what happened, understand?" Said Winfred seriously. What, 'understand' and not 'capice'?

"Yea, well, what if don't wanna, Old man?" Wocky said insolently.

"Wocky," The thick caterpillars that sat above Winfred's small eyes tightened into a frown.

"Ok, ok!" Wocky said quickly. "Well, uh, how long ago was it? A-Anyway, we- me and Deano and that- we were gonna step to The Rivales, yeah? All weapons allowed 'cept guns…" He bit his lip as he saw Plum sigh disappointedly and shake her head. "Danny brought us the pieces… we sorted that out pretty fast…"

"Where'd he get the weapons?" Plum interrupted, but Winfred shushed her.

"I dunno! He just had 'em." Wocky said truthfully. "We were s'posed to be meeting at… I dunno, eight? But I was getting' kinda stressed so I… I ran there by myself."

"Oh, Wocky…" Plum sighed again. "And you didn't think for one moment you could've been hurt?"

"I-I had a knife!" Wocky said in protest, then realised that that probably wasn't the cleverest thing to say.

"Oh, God…" Plum covered her eyes with her hand.

"Well, those Rivales were there, and they were badmouthin' us! So I…" Wocky trailed off.

"You barged in there with all guns blazing, didn't you?" Plum said decidedly.

"I said: I didn't have a gun!" Wocky cried, misunderstanding. "Well, some stuff happened, a-and then… I-I dunno, I think… I think I saw him- Gary Rivales- take something out of his belt and then I heard a bang. And…"

"And?" Plum encouraged.

"And I just felt a… a lotta hurt in my chest… And I was on the ground and… I dunno!" Wocky said exasperatedly, shaking his head.

"Tell us." Winfred ordered.

"… I… I heard shoutin'… I think it was Deano or Danny. And someone was holdin' onto me… That was Danny. Deano was screamin' and cryin'," Wocky paused. "I-I didn't cry, though." He continued "I think… I dunno, it's kinda hard to remember… I think Deano ran off… Chris too… I thought… I thought they were leaving me." Dammit, that lump in his throat was back again. He swallowed before saying any more. "Danny said… we hadda get to the hospital… Him and Lola were talkin'… I can't remember what about, though… I was… I was getting' tired. I-I think I fell asleep; and when I woke up I was here." Wocky concluded quietly. He lowered his head. "Jaxon said… I was gonna die…"

And then he did the one thing he'd swore to himself he'd never do. He broke down. He hated himself for it, but he couldn't stop it. All he could do was sit there, teeth clenched, trying desperately to gulp back the tears that were escaping his eyes and streaming down his face.

"Oh God…" Wocky hid his face in his hands. "Stop it, stop it, stop it…" He whispered over and over to himself. He hadn't cried since he was six, and now here he was, eighteen years old and bawling like a baby. Stop crying… If only he could stop crying… Then he looked at his parents, and really did stop.

Winfred 'Big Wins' Kitaki, the most dangerous gangster in town, was in tears himself.

"D-Dad…?" Wocky said unsurely, wiping furiously at his eyes.

"Oh, you boys!" Plum sighed, a trace of a sad smile on her face.

"M-Mom, Dad, I…" Ok, this was getting way too mushy! "I'm goin' to sleep, so you can get the Hell out!"

"Excuse _me,_ young man." Said Plum threateningly, putting her hands on her hips.

"I-I mean… Could you leave." Wocky said, then, catching his mother's stony glare, added "Please."

"Ok, honey." Plum smiled softly at Wocky, all her anger draining away. "Come on, Winfred." She said, dragging her sobbing husband away. "Bye, sweetie." She waved at Wocky from the doorway.

"Mo-om! Don't call me that!" Wocky wailed, adding mentally '_At least not in public'._

And the door closed and he was alone once again. Flopping back down on his pillow, he swallowed. He hugged his legs together, hoping desperately that he would be able to get up and about soon.

He could have _sworn _that bathroom sign was making fun of him.

--

**Not too brilliant towards the end, I know. I'm going to do an epilogue to show Wocky's fateful encounter with nurse Alita Tiala, though this chapter is officially the 'end'.**

**Please review, it would mean a lot to me.**His head


	3. Chapter 3

My computer is still broken, so I'm having to use… other methods of updating my work, eh heh heh

**My computer is still broken, so I'm having to use… **_**other methods **_**of updating my work, eh heh heh.**

**I swear this will be the last chapter! I don't want it to end, sob, sob…**

**Oh, and thanks to Ms Blackman for providing me with the information I needed on what it was like to wake up after chest surgery! Sorry, I forgot to mention it last chapter.**

**--**

About a week had passed since Wocky's operation, and he was ready to take on the world again, at least in his opinion. He had been up and about after the first day- he simply _had _to give that bathroom sign a piece of his mind after the pure torture it had put him through! His mom had visited often, though his father had not set foot in the hospital since their conversation a week ago. Ad of course, his friends often dropped by to embarrass him in front of whoever happened to be in the ward at the time. The surgeon's checkups were few and far between, but whenever he saw him he would strike up a conversation. The nurse was the complete opposite- Wocky saw her often, and yet she had barely spoken a word to him, just looking at him with an odd expression on her pretty face.

So Wocky was quite surprised when one day, out of the blue, she suddenly found her voice.

He had been slumped on top of his bed, his hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling and wondering if the place could possibly get any more boring, when she approached him.

"H-Hello," She greeted rather shyly. "Are you… feeling all right?"

"Whut? Oh, yeah, sho'. You?" Wocky said, propping himself up on his elbows.

"Me? Well… not really, no," the nurse said sadly.

"'Sup?" Wocky asked, sitting up properly now.

"Oh, it's nothing really, it's just… I'm getting a little run-down with all my work lately." She said, smiling weakly.

"Doc givin' you a hard time?" Wocky asked sympathetically.

"Something like that." The nurse said, sitting down on the bed beside him, perching on the very end, smoothing down her skirt primly. She smiled. "My name's Alita. Alita Tiala."

"Uh, I'm Wocky Kitaki." Wocky said. He was being unusually polite and he couldn't quite understand why. It was getting on his nerves.

"Yes, I know." The nurse said.

"Oh… yeah… 'course." Wocky grinned sheepishly, tugging at his orange fringe. "Heh heh…"

Alita smiled, a trace of amusement flickering across her face. "Hee hee… You're cute." She giggled shyly.

"H-Hey! I _ain't _cute, G!" Wocky snapped huffily, folding his arms defiantly.

"O-Oh…" Alita raised a delicate hand to her chest, surprised. She looked away, her eyes unhappy. Wocky started to panic. He hadn't meant to hurt her feelings! But luckily, she smiled again, gazing up at him with her head still titled down.

"I-I'm sorry…" She said. "But… I still think you're cute."

"Uh…" Wocky swallowed- why was his throat suddenly so dry? "… Th-Thanks." Ahh! So embarrassing, so embarrassing, so embarrassing! He flopped back down on the bed and hid his face in the pillow. He could not _believe _he just said that!

"Um… Are you okay?" Alita asked concernedly.

"Huh? Oh, yeah! Fine!" Wocky fumbled, quickly sitting up again.

"Good." She paused. "Well… I suppose I'd better be getting back to work then…" She let out a sad, mournful sigh as she turned to leave.

"Hey, uh, Alita, why d'ya work here if you hate it so much?" Wocky asked.

"O-Oh, well, I _would _leave if I _could,_ but I'm afraid I'd have nowhere to go if I did. I mean, I couldn't imagine myself living all alone…" Alita explained sadly.

"Oh…" Dammit, he was feeling really bad for her now. She was a small, waif-like girl, with a shy, quiet disposition. She didn't look like the sort of person who could make it by on their own. She looked like she needed help. Like she needed someone to protect her. "Well… I could take care o' ya."

"Wh-What?" Alita did a double take.

"I-I mean… I-If you want, then…" This wasn't right. He wasn't acting like himself at all, and something told him it was because of Miss Alita Tiala. He was usually the last person to get tongue-tied, even in an embarrassing situation (he usually just shouted that off), but for some reason he suddenly felt _shy._

"You think I should leave?" Alita asked.

"W-Well, if you getting' sick o' this gig, then yeah." Wocky verified.

"I see…" Alita paused for a second, looking over her shoulder, probably for any sign of the doctor. Leaning in closer to Wocky, she said, very, very quietly "I'll leave… If you'll marry me."

--

"You're getting _married?!"_

The Kitaki Family Gang looked at each other, disbelief written all over their wide-eyed faces. Then suddenly, they all burst out laughing. Their stomach clenched and tears came to their eyes, they were roaring so hard with laughter.

"Shaddap! You think just 'cuz imma G I ain't allowed to get hitched?!" Wocky yelled angrily.

"Sorry, Wocky. Its just… surprising, y'know?" Imogen was the first to compose herself. Imogen, or Im to the rest of the group, had been introduced to the gang by Lola during Wocky's absence ("Those Rivales outnumber us anyway, and if they gonna fight dirty, I reckon we need a lil' extra muscle, you dig? Plus I needed some _female_ company fo' once!"). She was a cheerful otaku who spoke solely in third person, most distinguished by her boyish blonde pixie cut and freckled face.

"I don't believe it! My cuz! Married!" Deano laughed. "So, who's the'ho, huh, kid?"

"Her _name _is Alita Tiala." Wocky said. "And don't call her that! She ain't no common dame- she's like… she's like an angel that got lost or something!"

"Uh-oh, Pocky's in lo-ove!" Deano teased.

Danny's eyes widened, as if he had just realised something. "Did you say _Tiala? _…It's not that nurse is it?"

"Well… Yeah."

That set Danny off laughing again. "Aw, kid! _Kid! _A girl like that? I would never have… She's hot stuff, man!"

"Yeah, well, you stay away from her!" Wocky snapped protectively.

"Hey, _me?_ Make a move on another man's wife? No way!" Danny chuckled, holding his hands up defensively. "…How old is she anyway?"

"Twenty-one…" Wocky said warily.

"Oho, that ain't good! She's gonna have you wrapped around her lil' finger in no time- yo' barely eighteen!" Danny grinned evilly.

"I'm not! I'm nearly nineteen!" Said Wocky defensively.

"Same frickin' difference." Danny shrugged. Then he added as an afterthought "Congrats."

"Yes, congratulations!" Imogen cried excitedly- she was easily stirred up by new of big ceremonies, as it meant she got to dress up. "Though… It's a shame, really. You getting married. You'd make a good uke…"

"A what?"

"Oho-ho! _Harsh, _gal! Though now that you mention it, yo' right!" Lola laughed, giving Imogen a high five. "I mean, he's short enough, and so cute, am I right?"

"Shut up."

"Naw, I kid, I kid. I'm happy fo' ya! I guess yo' really growin' up! Now come here and give yo' big sis a hug!" Lola giggled, throwing her arms around Wocky before he had the chance to stop her. Damn, he wished he wasn't so short. Wait, he _wasn't _short, the rest of the world was just too tall! But either way, the height of Wocky, and that of Lola, meant that he was faced with something quite… distracting. He didn't even notice Lola's hand snaking down. Until it squeezed. Hard.

"Oh, you _are_ growing up." She smirked, raising her eyebrows and nodding in approval, delighting in Wocky's widening eyes and audible gasp. "Yep, something's definitely grown there."

"Really? Lessee…" Deano grinned "Hey, _yeah!_ My lil' cuz ain't so lil' no more, huh?"

"H… H-Hey!" Wocky couldn't trust himself to say any more without it coming out as a high-pitched squeak. Why did they always choose to victimise _him? _How come, out of the whole gang, _he_ always had to be the one with his face redder than a tomato? It was so unfair!

"Hey, that looks like fun! Let Imogen try too!**(1)**" Imogen giggled gleefully.

"Okay… Let's have a look then!" Lola announced devilishly, and began attacking Wocky's belt.

Wocky immediately snapped to his senses. "Ah! Ahh! Get the Hell offa me!" He shouted, trying frantically to prise Lola's hands for his belt, his face burning intensely. "You mad cow!"

"Hey, Deano, hold him still for me, would ya?" Lola laughed, ignoring Wocky's flying insults.

Deano shrugged. "You're the boss." He said, grabbing Wocky's arms and holding them behind his back in a lock. Wocky struggled, but to no avail- Deano was over a head and shoulders taller than him, and much stronger.

"Deano, get off!" Wocky yelled desperately, horribly aware that Lola had managed to get his belt undone and was now fiddling with the button and undoing the zipper.

"Im, you can do his shirt!" Lola ordered between her whoops of laughter.

"Yay!" Imogen cheered delightedly and began tugging up Wocky's blue badger T-shirt, giggling madly. "Hee hee! This is so fu-un, taking all your clothes off!**(2)**" She sang.

As Deano released Wocky's left arm so that Imogen could take out of the sleeve, he immediately grabbed down at his jeans, which Lola was slowly working down. "Cut it _out! _This is… This is sexual harassment!"

Lola blinked innocently up at him. Her face broke into a wide, sadistic smile. "Naw, kid, its _tradition!"_ She explained mischievously. "We always do this when a Kitaki gets hitched!"

"B-Bu-But!" Wocky spluttered incredulously- Imogen had gotten his T-shirt halfway off by now. "None of you guys are married!"

Lola shrugged. "All traditions gotta start somewhere." She said, then adding in a shout over her shoulder "Hey, Danny! Gimme a hand with his sneakers, would ya?! And Chris, could you hold his legs still? It's kinda hard to work like this."

"Shit! Don't you fuckin' dare!" Wocky screamed furiously, trying to kick his way free, as his hand were tied- literally. Imogen pulled his T-shirt over his head.

"Done!" She declared proudly, waving it above her head like a victory flag. "Hey, you got a good chest, Wocky!" She added admiringly, sidling closer to him.

"Ack! D-Don't touch me like that!" Wocky cried, squeezing his eyes tight shut and gritting his teeth as Imogen ran her cool palm across his bare chest, fingering his stitches. Imogen pouted.

"No, she's right. Least one good thing came outta Danny's trainin', huh?" Lola grinned.

"Hey, have I'm right here, ya know!" Danny chuckled jokingly, tossing a shoe over his shoulder. "Have a lil' more confidence in The Dan!"

Lola stuck her tongue out at Danny flirtatiously. She had by now pulled Wocky's jeans down to his knees. Wocky gave one last struggle to show that his spirit was not yet broken, and then gave up, subsiding into verbal abuse. Deano was holding his arms, and Chris his ankles. Even he could see that there really was no escape.

"Nearly done now!" Lola declared in singsong.

"Goddamn it! Y'all gonna die fo' this!" Wocky yelled threateningly, ignoring the scratchiness of his throat- all the screaming had gotten to him.

"Whatever, honey." Lola muttered, deliberately making it clear that she was not listening to a word he was saying.

"I swear I'm gonna gouge yo' eyes out and piss in the fuckin' holes, ya bitch!" He shouted loudly down at her, wanting her to at least take in what he was threatening.

She looked up at him blankly, and he was glad he had at least gotten a reaction. Her expression grew sad and she shrank down, the very embodiment of innocence. "Wocky…?" She murmured quietly.

"Y-Yeah?"

She gazed up at him, and her sweet, naïve expression morphed into one of pure devilishness, her eyebrows knitting together, her eyes dancing with the spark of mayhem, and almost all of her teeth bared in an animal-like smile, showing off the diamond on her front tooth. Licking her tongue across her top row of teeth, she said triumphantly "You're blushing."

--

**I just wanted to end it on a humorous note! Don't worry; they'll give him his clothes back… eventually. Heheheh, have fun in therapy, Wocky!**

**1 and 2 were lines from actual mangas. Well, I did say she was an otaku! 1 was Kaolla Su from Love Hina, and 2 was Haruhi from Lucky Star.**


End file.
